


hope

by RaineyDay



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [14]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Gen, non-graphic major character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 15:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29473938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaineyDay/pseuds/RaineyDay
Summary: Febuwhump day 15: "run. don't look back."Sometimes, plans don't work as they're meant to.
Relationships: Angus McDonald & Taako, Kravitz & Angus McDonald & Taako, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138502
Kudos: 16
Collections: febuwhump 2021





	hope

**Author's Note:**

> So I really want to stress the Major Character Death tag, because it's like,,, for real character death, not the usual TAZ B kind, where they're okay anyway.
> 
> I had an AU idea, and it's so sad!! but I wrote it anyway.

They weren't going to make it. Taako knew it. Something had gone wrong, and they weren't going to be able to make it back to the ship. None of them were. He was going to die, here and now, and there wasn't going to be another cycle.

But the Starblaster was fine. Nothing wrong with her, Lucretia had made sure to keep up on maintenance all those years, just in case- backups plans upon backup plans that one- but they weren't going to make it despite that.

But maybe someone else could.

He would have tried to get to the ship, if he wasn't so close to bleeding out. But he wasn't going to last long enough to get them out of there. And he was the last one left. If he tried to get someone else to pilot, he'd still be dead before they got out of the system.

Kravitz and Angus were with him. He really fuckin' appreciated that, but he needed them to do something different now. He hated it. He wanted to be selfish, to keep them by his side while he died, to bask in their love and comfort as he went, because dying was always horrible and scary, and it was even worse this time.

But he couldn't. He could be selfless this one time. For them.

"Krav, baby? Do me a favor?" Taako asked.

"What?" Kravitz asked, his expression desperate and grieving, even though the guy was literally death- essentially anyway. Though, Taako supposed, if the Hunger consumed this plane, neither of them would stick around like this, Astral Plane or no.

"Get Angus to the Starblaster. Get Killian and Carey- any fuckin' Bureau people left. And, uh, fuck, what're their names? Merle's kids," Taako said.

"Mavis and Mookie?" Angus asked, confused.

"Why?" Kravitz asked.

"I'm not fuckin' making it, babe. Not here, not even if we get the ship out of here. It's over."

"No!" Angus cried, disbelieving, over Kravitz's solemn murmur of agreement.

"Ango, baby, listen to me. Run. Don't look back, just run. You know how to fly the Starblaster- everyone does now- you can get out of here," Taako said, fighting against the part of him that just wanted to rest.

"I'm not gonna leave you!" Angus cried.

"You sure are, pumpkin," Taako argued. "I can't make it out. None of us can. And if you brought me along, and I did, _somehow_ survive- again, I wouldn't- then you would die."

"The ship will reset you! And you can still fix this!" Angus insisted.

"Angus..." Kravitz said, soft and gentle and Taako had never loved him more. "He doesn't have enough time left. He's barely got a few minutes."

"Oof, didn't gotta be that blunt, bones!" Taako laughed, because that was the only thing he'd ever known to do when things were this bad.

Angus sobbed, throwing himself onto Taako, and it didn't hurt, which was probably a concern, because it definitely should have with how injured he was.

"You're gonna be okay, pumpkin. I promise," Taako assured him, trying to reach his face to brush away the tears, but not quite

"I can't!" Angus wailed.

"Hey, you can sure do better than us, though right? I mean, fuck, nothing we tried worked," Taako said, letting his disappointed defeat sink into his voice a little. "Not Lucy's barrier plan, not our plan to split the light- they barely did anything to the fucker," he spit, bitterly. They'd really thought they'd been onto something there. But all they did was fuck up this plane and make the Hunger angrier and less willing to be reasoned with.

But Ango was smart. The Bureau people were pretty competent. And they knew everything that it had taken so much trial and failure for their crew to learn, thanks to Fischer and Lucretia's journals.

Taako _really_ hadn't expected to ever be grateful for that mess, let alone so soon after the fact, but he was really glad that it meant Angus could survive, at least.

"I love you," Angus mumbled into his shoulder, before straightening up with a sniffle.

"Love you too, Agnes," Taako managed. Kid was never gonna see him again, it was the least he could do.

And then, Kravitz got out his scythe, and they were gone.

Taako stared up at the darkening sky around him, filled with bitter regret, and wished that it hadn't been like this.

He really hoped that they made it. It was bad enough how bad they'd all failed. He really couldn't stand the thought of Angus dying because of their mistakes too. He really hoped that Lup was right that people might survive in the Hunger, somehow.

Everything felt far away, but he came back to himself a little when he heard a familiar rip in space right beside him, and as Kravitz wrapped his arms around him.

"Babe?" Taako murmured, confused, even as he leaned into the contact.

"I'm here, Taako," Kravitz whispered against his ear, and Taako sighed softly. "I got them to the ship. Everyone you asked for. A couple others I thought might be good. They're safe."

"Good," Taako said. He was so glad that they were safe. He wasn't a guy prone to looking on the bright side of things, but Angus surviving- that was better than nothing. It was a whole lot better than nothing. Right now, it kind of felt like everything.

Except for the fact that Kravitz was still here. That wasn't good.

"I don't think I could go with them, love," Kravitz said.

Taako knew that he hadn't said that out loud, so he wasn't sure how Kravitz knew that he'd been thinking that.

"I can read the thoughts of the dying. Only the very near death," Kravitz said, stumbling to explain. "I haven't been- not the _whole_ time-"

A bright spark of amusement and love flashed through Taako's mind, and he hoped that Kravitz got that bit too.

"I did," Kravitz said, smiling softly, pressing a kiss to Taako's forehead. "I love you too. I'm so sorry that this is happening."

Taako hoped that Kravitz was telling the truth that he couldn't leave with the ship. Because the selfish part of him was really glad that he was here with him, now. He didn't want to be alone. And this way, he didn't even need to feel guilty about dooming the love of his life either.

Kravitz blushed furiously at the phrasing, a soppy smile spreading across his face.

"I love you, I love you so much," Kravitz said, firmly, longingly. "I'm telling the truth- I don't really have a body, exactly? I don't know what would happen with that. But I don't think I'd leave you even if I could. You're- amazing, Taako. I'm so proud of you for making it this far."

Hadn't been far enough. Hadn't been good enough or smart enough or strong enough to stop that thing. But Taako still felt a curl of pleasure to know that Kravitz wanted to be here with him anyway.

"I don't care that you didn't stop it. You were amazing anyway. And look at everything you _were_ able to accomplish. You learned so much, and it will make things so much easier for Angus and the others," Kravitz was kissing him again, not on the lips though, which was disappointing. Probably that would just kill him faster though. Maybe they'd have some time together in the Astral Plane though, before the Hunger got here, to really say goodbye.

Taako was no longer able to think anything coherent, but he was happy. Dying sucked- but it wasn't so awful like this.

He was loved, and he wasn't alone, and he'd done his best to keep his boy safe. All was not lost just yet.

**Author's Note:**

> In my mind, Angus and the others do eventually save the day, and destroy the Hunger, and the planes break free like they do in canon when they win, and so it's okay! But it's still pretty bittersweet even with that.


End file.
